Saturn and Spica near moon March 10

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Saturn and Spica near moon March 10

Tonight for March 10, 2012

Courtesy U.S. Naval Observatory

Yes, Venus and Jupiter are amazing in the western sky tonight after sunset! And Mars is at its best for this two-year period, rising in the east throughout the early evening. But before going to bed tonight, you can also watch for the moon to team up with the star Spica and the planet Saturn over the east to southeast horizon. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. Saturn, the sixth planet outward from the sun, is the most distant world that you can easily see with the unaided eye.
Illustrated guide to Venus and Jupiter conjunction in March 2012
How to see Mars in March 2012
You can distinguish Spica and Saturn by color. Spica sparkles blue-white, while Saturn exhibits a steadier golden light. If you can’t discern color with the unaided eye, try viewing these celestial gems with binoculars.

Here's a new image from the Cassini mission to Saturn, released March 6, 2012. Saturn's largest moon, Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers across), is in the upper right. Saturn's rings appear across the top of the image, and they cast a series of shadows onto Saturn across the middle of the image. More about this image via

Click here to expand image above
As you gaze at tonight’s moon near Saturn, you might enjoy thinking about Saturn and its largest moon Titan, as shown in this new image (above) from the joint a joint NASA/ESA/ASI spacecraft mission to Saturn. This Cassini mission has orbiting within the Saturn system since 2004, and what amazing images it has given us!
Now back to thinking about Earth’s moon – very beautiful in its own way, and now only a few days past full moon – still big and bright in our sky. Tonight’s waning gibbous moon – like any waning gibbous moon in late winter or early spring – rises a good while after dark. Watch for it to ascend over your eastern horizon a few to several hours after nightfall, or at about the time that the dazzling planets Jupiter and Venus set in the western sky.

Stargazers know to follow the arc in the Big Dipper's handle to find the bright orange star Arcturus - then speed on to Spica. You'll find the Big Dipper in the northeast in late evening in the month of March.

Saturn is near the star Spica throughout 2012, and in many ways this proximity makes both Saturn and Spica easy to see. Two bright objects in the east late at night any evening this month are likely to be Saturn and Spica. You can also use the Big Dipper to be sure you’ve found Spica, as shown at right. Saturn will be the golden “star” nearby.
Spica is a whirling double star
The moon, Spica and Saturn – after rising – climb westward throughout the late evening hours and the wee hours after midnight. The threesome transits – soars highest up in the sky – at roughly 2:30 a.m. local time. Thereafter, the moon, Spica and Saturn descend westward, to move into the southwest sky by dawn. These celestial objects move from east to west across the sky tonight for the same reason that the sun moves westward during the day. The Earth rotates on its axis from west to east, making it appear as if the moon, Spica and Saturn – like the sun – move from east to west across our sky.
Bottom line: On the night of March 10, 2012, see the moon, the star Spica and the planet Saturn rise in the east by middle to late evening, and watch for these orbs to follow their natural procession westward throughout the night. Also, look for Venus and Jupiter – spectacular after sunset! And Mars, now at its best for two year, is ascending in the east each evening in March 2012.